William Dampier in New Holland - Australia’s first natural historian By Alex S. George ISBN 1876473126, published in 1999 by Bloomings Books, colour plates, hard cover, 171 pages Price $A19.95 plus $A10 postage within Australia, overseas postage please request a quote

Well researched and beautifully written, this book documents Dampier’s two voyages of discovery to Australia, featuring photographs of his original specimens, as well as providing an accurate botanical and historical record commemorating Dampier’s contribution to Australia’s natural history.

About the author

Alex George, the author, was a botanist with the Western Australian Herbarium for 21 years, then for 12 years executive editor of the Flora of Australia based in Canberra. He has botanised throughout Western Australia in all seasons, collecting and photographing wildflowers and observing how they live. His special interests include Banksia, Dryandra and Verticordia, as well as botanical history and bibliography. He is now a freelance botanist, editor and indexer.

Table of contents

• Foreword by George Seddon
• Introduction
• Acknowledgements
• Notes on the text
• Chronology
• William Dampier - natural historian, author, adventurer, privateer
• Dampier’s Australian plants
• Dampier’s Australian animals
• Commemorating Dampier
• Appendix: Matters of fact and opinion
• Bibliography
• Index